She Did What?!? Olympic Madness

August 24, 2016

By ALI CUDBY

Swimming!

Gymnastics!!

Track & Field!!!

In the past few weeks, everyone has had Olympic Fever.

The Olympics always makes some amazing television…young people in the prime of their lives, at the peak of their performance, battling it out in epic dramas featuring clear winners and losers – with a dash of nationalistic fervor for flavor.

Like many folks, I found myself getting excited about sports I barely knew existed. (Coming up next, competitive trampoline? Sign me up!)

And I do love the Olympics – BUT – I definitely didn’t love some of the media’s gender bias that came out of Rio over the past few weeks. In case you missed it, here are a few lowlights:

A man awarded the gold in a women’s swimming event

Well, no, Dan…that’s not how it works. See, the person in the pool – the person who had the talent and endured the grueling training and prevailed in the actual event? That woman, swimming in the women’s event? THAT’s the person who’s “responsible” for the Olympic medal. Yes, the coach has an important role. A critical role, even. Maybe Hosszu wouldn’t have made it to the Olympics without the guidance and support of her coach.

On the big day, in the pool, going up against the best in world, it’s all up to the athlete. It was simply insulting to say the coach was “responsible” for the victory.

Bronze medal winner defined by hubby’s job

Then there was the very unfortunate tweet by The Chicago Tribune after Corey Cogdell-Unrein won the bronze for trap shooting. The Tribune framed her achievement – and, in fact, her existence – by the role of “wife” and her husband’s high-profile job rather than focus on her amazing accomplishment.

Some in the Twitterverse have played defense, suggesting that Tribune readers would care more about a local story given the connection to the almighty Chicago Bears. Maybe that’s true – but don’t define Cogdell by her husband in her well-earned moment of glory.

When does a silver beat gold?

There were other, similar stories from this summer’s Olympic games in Rio. The bold headline from the Associated Press proclaiming Michael Phelps’ silver medal in the 100m butterfly over a smaller subhead, sharing the news of Katie Ledecky’s world record-crushing gold medal win in the 800m freestyle.
Maybe the AP couldn’t find any other Michael Phelps related stories to cover in Rio?? (Yes, that was a joke.)

These stories are not a cluster of isolated events. They’re part of a bigger, systemic picture of how women are covered in athletics. A recent UK study found that “men are three times more likely than women to be mentioned in a sporting context [ie ‘strong, big, real, great or fastest’] while women are disproportionately described in relation to their marital status, age or appearance [ie ‘aged, pregnant, or unmarried.’]”

The study specifically revealed that “language around women in sport focuses disproportionately on the appearance, clothes and personal lives of women, highlighting a greater emphasis on aesthetics over athletics.”

Why does the language bias matter?

How women see themselves is filtered through the lens of the media. Good or bad, we’re all shaped by the messages we get from our screens. So when those messages are systematically skewed in a particular direction, we can’t help it having some impact on how we see ourselves.

When women are shown as extensions of men, secondary to them, or defined by anything other than their achievements in their sports – that’s a problem.

Understanding that this is happening in 2016 gives us a chance to shine a light on it. It means we can be more aware when women come into our businesses. In the fitting room, when we listen to women’s self-talk, we can help subtly shift those messages. By highlighting the absurdity of the examples coming out of Rio, we can take steps toward reframing the conversation.

Because, let’s face it…Michael Phelps winning silver in the 100-fly is awesome. But Katie Ledecky obliterating the world record and winning her race by eleven mind-melting seconds? That’s badass.

Ledecky – and all those women – deserve their own headlines.

2 Discussion to this post

You know, women have been second class citizens for millennia, and when they have chosen to be who they are- powerful women who don’t much care for societal norms, they’ve burned at the stake and stoned to death, with all sorts of offenses in between. My mission in life is to empower women to be unabashedly themselves, regardless of their physical appearance. Most flora and fauna come in a dizzying area of colors and shapes and we appreciate each for its own unique beauty. We as women must celebrate who we are, and appreciate the differences. Though, at the heart and soul of things, we are more similar than dissimilar. We all want to be loved and to love. We want to be accepted and acknowledged for what we contribute to the world- women are the healers and peacemakers after all. We’re as beautiful as our thoughts about it. Beauty shines from the inside. Life would be incredibly dull if every one of us was the same. MY 8 month old great nephew is fascinated by my curly hair – most other women he encounters flat iron their hair. Just like snowflakes, we are each unique. If we love ourselves well, we show others how to love us. Alicia Keyes just denounced make up and will become a mentor on The Voice, with bare skin, freckles and all. She said she has never felt so free or empowered. And didn’t Marilyn Monroe say a woman’s best accessory is her smile? Be proud of the goddess within, and fuck anyone who doesn’t like what it’s wrapped in.

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she buzz

SHE BUZZ is the place to go to tune into the world of women. From news stories and trends to the issues women uniquely face in the world by virtue of being women. It may be fun and festive, or sad and serious. This column will be guided by current events and personal opinion – all on the topic of women’s experiences.

The lingerie industry is about more than fittings and finery. It’s about connecting to women and creating an environment that’s supportive – both physically and emotionally.

Ali Cudby will bring you a range of topics as diverse as women themselves.

ALI CUDBY teaches a proven method to transform the customer culture for businesses that sell to women. With Ali, businesses lay a strong foundation for building the deep relationships customers crave as the antidote to isolation in the modern economy.

The result? Customers are inspired to buy more often and refer like crazy, while businesses thrive and change customers’ lives.

Ali is a bestselling author and has been featured in TV, print and online for publications such as Cosmopolitan and Essence Magazine, among others. She holds an MBA from Wharton Business School and spends her spare time in her pottery studio.